UncategorizedComments Off on Chipotle to offer free Halloween burritos

Oct292009

Authors: Louis Page

Saturday, Chipotle locations around the country will offer free burritos to anyone willing to wrap themselves in a suit of aluminum foil, and the most CSU-centric location will not be an exception.

John McNutt, the manager of the restaurant on College Avenue and Laurel Street, said during the annual event, his business gives an average of 1,857, or $13,000 worth, of burritos to Halloween enthusiasts in the bizarre costumes.

“Last year I saw someone in a full head-to-toe burrito costume,” McNutt said.

He said the line of employees are able to make around six burritos per minute, keeping the line moving fast and smooth.

According to the franchise’s Web site, the event helps Chipotle by getting its name out there.

Chipotle will offer the special from 6 to 10 p.m.

Some Chipotle restaurants hold up to five free-burrito days a year, which actually increases Chipotles overall sales, according to their Web site.

What started as a promising season has quickly fallen out of control for the CSU Rams. After losing six straight games and losing all hope of improving on last seasons 7-6 record, the Rams are showing signs of frustration.

CSU’s latest loss came Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Air Force Falcons, falling in front of a crowd 22,025 filling Hughes Stadium.

The Rams partially battled back from an early 14-0 deficit and found themselves down a manageable 17-10 going into halftime. Unfortunately for CSU, the close game wouldn’t last long as the Falcons came out firing in the third quarter.

Air Force started second half onslaught on their first possession of the second half, by driving 78 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson, known more for runs than passes, found receiver Johnathan Warzeka wide open in the end zone from 24 yards out. The pass gave the Falcons a 23-10 lead after a missed extra point.

Air Force wasn’t done piling on thought, adding points on their next two drives including a touchdown off a 14 yard pitch to Kevin Fogler along with a 30 yard field goal following that, brining the score to 34-10.

The Rams played back ups for the remaining five minutes of the contest, including second string quarterback Jon Eastman, adding a late touchdown on a Lou Greenwood run. The late charge wasn’t nearly enough as the Rams fell for the sixth straight time, 34-16.

Rams head coach Steve Fairchild gave credit to the Falcons for the win in a post game press conference and blamed the loss on CSU’s poor third down performance.

“They deserved to win, they obviously made more plays than we did,” the second year CSU head man said. “I thought we were in position there in the first half, but once again we didn’t do a good enough job on third down on either side of the ball to sustain drives offensively or get off the field defensively.”

The Rams season long troubles on third downs continued against Air Force as CSU converted only six of 13 third downs offensively while allowing the Falcons to convert 11 of 16.

CSU quarterback Grant Stucker appeared disheartened by the loss and explained just why the why the Rams fell apart in the second half.

“We just couldn’t points up on the board and sustain a drive,” the senior first year starter said. “We couldn’t make the big play, we just couldn’t execute. When you do that against a team like Air Force they will just keep grinding the ball against you and it won’t play to your advantage.”

CSU safety Ivory Herd put part of the blame for letting a close game slip away on the defense and said the Rams gave the Falcons to many opportunities.

“They are going to capitalize on any opportunity we give them,” the sophomore said. “It’s one of the reasons we lost. We let down in the second half.”

Stucker struggled for the third straight game, posting only 49 yards passing with an interception.

While the Rams passing game struggled, the green and gold found new life in their running game, tallying 187 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, including a 13 yard score by Stucker late in the second quarter.

Fairchild found one of few bright spots of the game in the Rams rushing game, specifically giving credit to the performance of his offensive line.

“We’re playing well some areas,” he said. “We are running the ball pretty effectively and the offensive line, I thought they were good but I couldn’t even imagine playing as well as we are playing.”

Stucker added that the Rams focused less on the pass today only because they knew they could run on the Falcons and pointed out it was part of the game plan.

“That was working for us and we stuck with that game plan,” the Ponderosa graduate said. “We didn’t shy away from the pass because we didn’t want to, we just knew the run game was working so well.”

With a six game losing streak hanging over their head and mention of a possible offensive shake up in the coming weak, Stucker admitted that the Rams were struggling.

“Everybody is hurting and they should be,” he said. “It’s hard to keep guys positive through this sort of thing but that’s what people have to do. We have to stay positive, focus on the good things we have done and move on to the next play next game.”

CSU’s next opportunity to break their losing streak is set for next Saturday as the Rams travel to face the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas.

Assistant Sports Editor Adam Bohlmeyer can be reached at sports@collegian.com

What started as a promising season has quickly fallen out of control for the CSU Rams (3-6 0-5). After losing six straight games and losing all hope of improving on last seasons 7-6 record, the Rams are showing signs of frustration.

CSU’s latest loss came Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Air Force Falcons (5-4 4-2), falling in front of a crowd 22,025 filling Hughes Stadium.

The Rams partially battled back from an early 14-0 deficit and found themselves down a manageable 17-10 going into halftime. Unfortunately for CSU, the close game wouldn’t last long as the Falcons came out firing in the third quarter.

Air Force started second half onslaught on their first possession of the second half, by driving 78 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson, known more for runs than passes, found receiver Johnathan Warzeka wide open in the end zone from 24 yards out. The pass gave the Falcons a 23-10 lead after a missed extra point.

Air Force wasn’t done piling on thought, adding points on their next two drives including a touchdown off a 14 yard pitch to Kevin Fogler along with a 30 yard field goal following that, brining the score to 34-10.

The Rams played back ups for the remaining five minutes of the contest, including second string quarterback Jon Eastman, adding a late touchdown on a Lou Greenwood run. The late charge wasn’t nearly enough as the Rams fell for the sixth straight time, 34-16.

Rams head coach Steve Fairchild gave credit to the Falcons for the win in a post game press conference and blamed the loss on CSU’s poor third down performance.

“They deserved to win, they obviously made more plays than we did,” the second year CSU head man said. “I thought we were in position there in the first half, but once again we didn’t do a good enough job on third down on either side of the ball to sustain drives offensively or get off the field defensively.”

The Rams season long troubles on third downs continued against Air Force as CSU converted only six of 13 third downs offensively while allowing the Falcons to convert 11 of 16.

CSU quarterback Grant Stucker appeared disheartened by the loss and explained just why the why the Rams fell apart in the second half.

“We just couldn’t points up on the board and sustain a drive,” the senior first year starter said. “We couldn’t make the big play, we just couldn’t execute. When you do that against a team like Air Force they will just keep grinding the ball against you and it won’t play to your advantage.”

CSU safety Ivory Herd put part of the blame for letting a close game slip away on the defense and said the Rams gave the Falcons to many opportunities.

“They are going to capitalize on any opportunity we give them,” the sophomore said. “It’s one of the reasons we lost. We let down in the second half.”

Stucker struggled for the third straight game, posting only 49 yards passing with an interception.

While the Rams passing game struggled, the green and gold found new life in their running game, tallying 187 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, including a 13 yard score by Stucker late in the second quarter.

Fairchild found one of few bright spots of the game in the Rams rushing game, specifically giving credit to the performance of his offensive line.

“We’re playing well some areas,” he said. “We are running the ball pretty effectively and the offensive line, I thought they were good but I couldn’t even imagine playing as well as we are playing.”

Stucker added that the Rams focused less on the pass today only because they knew they could run on the Falcons and pointed out it was part of the game plan.

“That was working for us and we stuck with that game plan,” the Ponderosa graduate said. “We didn’t shy away from the pass because we didn’t want to, we just knew the run game was working so well.”

With a six game losing streak hanging over their head and mention of a possible offensive shake up in the coming weak, Stucker admitted that the Rams were struggling.

“Everybody is hurting and they should be,” he said. “It’s hard to keep guys positive through this sort of thing but that’s what people have to do. We have to stay positive, focus on the good things we have done and move on to the next play next game.”

CSU’s next opportunity to break their losing streak is set for next Saturday as the Rams travel to face the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas.

Assistant Sports Editor Adam Bohlmeyer can be reached at sports@collegian.com

With fellow outside hitter Jacqui Davisson sidelined with a concussion, Danielle Minch took it upon herself to decide the result of Friday evening’s bout with Wyoming.

Minch led all players with 17 kills, and the Rams (18-4, 10-1 MWC) followed her lead en route to a victory over the rival Cowgirls in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-20).

“We’re very thankful for Danielle’s performance tonight,” said head coach Tom Hilbert. “She was absolutely on fire.”

After two close sets to begin the match, Minch wanted to break the spirit of the Cowgirls in the third match. She did just that, tallying 8 of her 17 kills in the final set.

“I was sick of (Wyoming) feeling like they had a chance,” said Minch, who leads the Rams with 279 kills on the year. “I feel like we weren’t really playing our top game.”

The victory is the Rams 24th consecutive over the Cowgirls, having not lost a match to Wyoming since Nov. 17, 1997.

The Rams struggled early Friday evening, trailing the Cowgirls (10-15, 1-10 MWC) for large stretches of the first and second sets before ultimately rallying to win both. Hilbert was visibly frustrated at times, but said he would not complain about the final result.

“We weren’t getting the ball high enough at times,” said Hilbert. “Eventually we settled down and started siding out more.”

The Rams are very quietly building another home court winning streak after seeing their 28-game streak snapped in the first match of the season. Friday’s win marks their 10th straight at Moby Arena.

The conference-leading Rams will get some rest before hosting the Air Force Falcons (8-15, 0-11 MWC) this Thursday. The Falcons have yet to win a conference match this season, and have lost all but one set in the Mountain West.

Still sophomore setter Evan Sanders feels the team must continue to prove themselves, every time out.

“Every team has improved,” said Sanders, who totaled 40 assists Friday evening. “It’s super important for us to prove we are getting better too.”

UncategorizedComments Off on CSU looks to end losing streak in game against Air Force

Oct292009

Authors: Stephen Meyers

Saying that Air Force likes to run the football is an understatement.

Ranking fourth in the nation at 276 yards per game, Air Force (4-4, 3-2 MWC) will pose a unique challenge to CSU (3-5, 0-4) out of its triple option offense on Saturday at Hughes Stadium.

Out of the flexbone option formation, the Falcons possess multiple options as four players have at least 300 yards rushing on the season. Don’t expect to see much passing, however, as Air Force averages a mere 66.5 yards per game through the air and their quarterbacks have thrown only three touchdown passes all season.

“It’s just different,” head coach Steve Fairchild said of Air Force’s offense.

“You don’t know who’s going to end up with the ball,” sophomore linebacker Mychal Sisson added.

Defensive coordinator Larry Kerr said the defense has been preparing all week for the run-first attack.

“It’s so critical that, No. 1, you stop the fullback. Everybody is assigned to different phases of the option: You’ve got the quarterback, the pitch man and you have to be aware of the play action pass,” Kerr said. “If you’re not a disciplined player, you will not be able to play against the option.”

CSU running back Raymond Carter played the role of USAFA quarterback Tim Jefferson in practice on the scout team this week to give the defense the looks it will present Saturday.

Jefferson has rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns and has thrown for another two scores in five games this season.

The defense will receive a boost Saturday as it returns middle linebacker Alex Williams from a knee injury and defensive end Corey Macon from illness.

“On the defensive side of the ball, we are starting to get thin in numbers, which is no excuse. But the more bodies the better,” Fairchild said.

CSU quarterback Grant Stucker will lead the offense against the ninth ranked defense in the country. The Falcon defense is especially stingy against the pass, having only given up three touchdown passes all season.

“To me their defense is comparable to TCU,” Fairchild said. “They’ve done a nice job with their personnel. This will be a tough challenge for us.”

Always searching for balance in his offense, Fairchild said it will be important for CSU to get the running game established. The running game will be enhanced as junior back Leonard Mason returns to the backfield after missing last week’s game due to bruised ribs.

CSU is trying to win its first MWC game and end a five-game losing streak. Currently, CSU sits at the bottom of the conference with New Mexico, which is 0-3 in the MWC and 0-7 overall.

“We had a tough streak of games, and it might have gotten some of the guys’ confidence down. But guys are enthusiastic every day in practice,” safety Elijah-Blu Smith said.

Football Beat Reporter Stephen Meyers can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

After a 1-1 road trip that pushed the CSU volleyball team to the brink, the Rams (17-4, 9-1 MWC) are back in action tonight against Border War rival Wyoming (10-14, 1-9).

CSU is leading the Mountain West with only one conference loss that came last weekend to TCU. Wyoming’s Cowgirls are eighth in the conference and have only come away from one conference game victorious.

The Rams have the advantage in this match.

Last time the two teams met, CSU swept their neighbors from the north 3-0. Wyoming may have lost in straight sets inside their home gym the last time out with the Rams, but they did hang in.

The first and last sets were won after the Rams were forced to score more than the usual 25 points, and head coach Tom Hilbert said the Cowgirls have since gotten better.

“I think it will be a good a match,” Hilbert said. “They’re a different team athletically than what we’ve been playing, but they’re scrappy, they’re competitive and they really do some good things.”

The Rams are coming off a huge win against conference foe New Mexico. The see-saw match went five sets, had more than 40 ties and proved the Rams can play with maturity and confidence. Now, the Rams are planning to take what they learned from their last two matches into what should be an exciting contest.

“Any team can lose any day,” said setter Evan Sanders. “Every team is good at something, and if you let them get on a roll, it’s hard to stop them. We have to make sure we put pressure on Wyoming from the start.”

Every team is vulnerable, but the Rams are as close to impenetrable at home as possible. The Rams are riding a nine-game winning streak at Moby Arena and haven’t dropped a home match since Aug. 29. CSU gets its next three matches at home, and the players are happy to not have to travel.

“It’s always good to play in Moby,” said CSU’s kill leader, Danielle Minch. “We have a lot of time to get better at the little things, so we just really need to take advantage of it.”

The rivalry between the two teams is intense.

CSU and Wyoming stomp the same recruiting grounds and a win over the top-seated Rams would help legitimize a disappointing season in addition to the fact that the Cowgirls may feel like the last match slipped through their fingers – the recipe is right for revenge.

“They played us too tough last time, when we were there,” Minch said. “They are going to want to play us really tough, and they’re going to want revenge. So we really need to be on our toes and doing things right.”

Wyoming can whip up a good defensive scheme, so the Rams will have to play a solid and mistake-free offensive game to accomplish a win in convincing fashion. Sanders knows she will be the one quarterbacking the kills of her teammates, but feels confident that the Rams can disrupt the Cowgirls talented defense.

“All of our hitters are capable of putting a lot of pressure on Wyoming’s defense,” she said. “As long as I’m getting them good in-system balls so they can hit high shots and do what they do, then we should have no problem.”

Volleyball Beat Reporter Keith Robertson can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

UncategorizedComments Off on Basketball tops CSU-Pueblo in exhibition opener this season

Oct292009

Authors: Adam Bohlmeyer

If Thursday night is a sign of things to come, fans of CSU women’s basketball have a reason to be excited.

The Rams tipped off exhibition play Thursday night by beating the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves in front of a small but spirited crowd scattered throughout Moby Arena.

After building a 32-29 first half lead, the Rams pulled away late in the second half in route to an impressive 81-59 final score, the teams biggest point total since February of last year.

CSU blew the game open with just under seven minutes remaining, thanks in large part to red hot shooting from forward Kim Mestdagh. The sophomore hit five straight three-pointers in a matter of four minutes, helping the Rams to a 20-point lead with under three minutes remaining.

The Rams subbed out most of their starters for the remainder of the game and held on, pulling off an impressive 81-59 win.

Head coach Kristen Holt was pleased with the victory and said she wasn’t surprised Mestdagh could get that hot that quickly.

“I know she has the ability to shoot like that,” Holt said. “The big difference this year from last year is that she would have stopped shooting with a beginning like that, and she can’t. I told her ‘you have to get 15 shots if not more up’, so I’m happy she kept shooting. I was happy with her performance for sure.”

Mestdagh finished the game with 25 points, 21 off of three-pointers, after struggling to hit shots in the first half. Forwards Meghan Heimstra and Chatilla van Grinsven were also solid for the Rams, posting 18 points with 10 rebounds and nine points with 13 rebounds, respectively.

Mestdagh gave credit to her teammates for finding her when she was open and said she just had to keep shooting.

“Those were great passes,” Mestdagh, a native of Belgium, said. “In the first half the shots didn’t fall, but I had to stick with it. My teammates played for me, so that was great.”

Heimstra acknowledged that CSU’s win was only an exhibition game, but said the Rams are already a closer knit team than last season.

“It’s awesome, compared to last year especially,” the sophomore said. “We only grew from our first exhibition game last year. Judging on this, we’ll be a threat in conference.”

Holt agreed, adding that the Rams are already playing harder than a season ago. The second year Rams coach said this was as much as she could hope for from the first game of the season.

“If you had asked me before the game what the perfect scenario would be, I would have said win, and win by 20 or 30 points,” Holt said. “We kind of got to that point, but I don’t think this team will have problems scoring. With no seniors, new players and very little playing experience, I’m happy with the beginning.”

Assistant Sports Editor Adam Bohlmeyer can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

Wow, CSU. You closed the Oval to avoid pedestrian injury due to falling branches, yet you failed to realize that squirrels live in those branches. What kind of evac plan do you have for them? Poor squirrels.

Good to know that CSU administration cares so much about our well being that they’d cancel classes for us … but only after 2 p.m. when they have their funding.

I thought I would never say this, but I’m gonna kick Tony Frank in the beard for not canceling school.

Somewhere between slipping on black ice and crushing my knee on the pavement, I realized how much CSU cares about my “safety.”

Saturday night, small children will wander into the dark, cold streets dressed as witches, devils and balloon boys with gaping bags waiting to be filled with candy.

At the same time, college students will wander into their friends’ dark cold basements also dressed as witches, devils and balloon boys with gaping gullets waiting to be filled with booze.

Sound like a typical Saturday night for the college crowd? Maybe. But it is Halloween, and there’s a greater chance that earth-shatteringly hot guy/girl in your journalism class will show up dressed as a vampire stripper.

But then again so might an engineering major or two.

What we’re getting at, is Halloween is about having fun and worshiping the devil, if you’re into that kind of thing. But, it’s also important to remember to stay safe.

Despite what you may think, the traditional Celtic pagan holiday is not about driving drunk, especially while having fun, dressed as a zombified Walter Cronkite or while performing séances.

You should also remember to check your vodka shots for razor blades or needles, and if you’re worried about getting hit by cars, small amounts of reflective tape make an excellent revealing costume.

Condoms are also always a good idea, even on Halloween.

So grab your booze, your costume and your condoms, because you never know when your next chance to party will be before next Thursday.